A 0-2 defeat by Onehunga-Mangere on Saturday didn't unduly upset North Force coach Bruce Plunkett, who was viewing the game as a chance to try out a new style of play. The 3-5 home defeat by Ellerslie the previous weekend set alarm bells ringing in the coach's head and he decidedthat changes must be made if North Force were to be competitive in the next round, starting in a fortnight's time. "We decided to change the way we play after we were well beaten against Ellerslie last week and if we want to be competitive against the better sides that we'll be coming up against in the next round then we've got to change our style of play," he said. He said for the majority of the game against Onehunga the team worked well together but there were still a few "refinements" to be made. The team also welcomed back Steve Schimmel, after a long injury break. "The loss didn't bother me - there was nothing riding on the result - we'd already secured second place so we are already looking forward to the next challenge," he said. Now the side has a week off to concentrate on their new approach before their next challenge arrives, in the form of the second-round competition, that could see them progress into the Northern League Premier competition next year - or drop into Northern Division Two - depending on their results.
